Nanostructured akermanite glass-ceramic coating on Ti6Al4V for orthopedic applications

Glass ceramics are widely used to enhance the functionality of inert metallic materials typically used for hard-tissue engineering. Biofunctionality of glass ceramics can in turn be significantly boosted with the addition of trace element dopants. Herein, we synthesized a nanostructured glass ceramic and used magnesium (Mg), which is known to promote osteoblast adhesion and proliferation, for further functionalization. The nanostructured akermanite glass ceramic (Ca₂MgSi₂O₇) was used to coat Ti6Al4V substrates by the sol-gel method. Scanning and transmission electron microscopy as well as X-ray diffraction were used to assess the structural morphology and phase composition of the coating, respectively. The micrographs showed a uniform and crack-free coating structure. Atomic force microscopy observation revealed a disordered surface roughness for coated samples. In vitro cytocompatibility tests revealed that Saos-2 cells cultured on bare samples adopted a rounded morphology, whereas cells cultured on the coated samples represented a more spread out configuration and also increased proliferation. The characterizing tests confirmed the efficiency of the synthesis method and the in vitro biocompatibility of the synthesized coating, indicating its suitability to be used for bone implants.